Tough decisions
by just-chosen
Summary: Evil is about to rise, chapter 6 added, review please...!
1. How it started

Though Decisions  
  
Characters: Buffy, Spike, Willow, Giles, Wood, Alyssa. The new character Alyssa is made up by me, she's a part of the gang for quite some timenow.  
  
Summary: The story begins with Giles and Wood, making a pact. What will be the outcome, and most of all how will Buffy and Alyssa react.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own them, just love 'em.  
  
***part one***  
  
It's a dark and cold night in Sunnydale. Buffy and Alyssa are sitting at the porch, looking up at stars. Both of their minds wrapped around the evil that's on his way. Both of them trying to find ways of defeating it. And both of them thinking of a guy. Suddenly Alyssa sighs.  
  
" Why has life has to be this hard?", Alyssa asks.  
  
" You really had to ask me, huh..", Buffy laughs. "You found your answer"  
  
" I didn't mean that, I kinda meant., oh I don't a know.., life with a guy?"  
  
" A guy? What guy? You have a guy? Since when?"  
  
"Yes, Giles, yes, since I went to England."  
  
"Wow, you mean, you and Giles, you and Rupert Giles? The oh so boring but yet very smart Giles?", Buffy surprisely asks.  
  
"Yeah, me and Giles. It's a long story, but the summary goes like this. Giles and me were already interested in each other when he was still here. We just didn't show, knowing that we would be the subject of the oh so subtle remarks. We just wanted to see where we were heading. So when he told me he went to England, I felt said. Wanted to go with him, but I couldn't leave you and the gang."  
  
"So that's why you went to England"  
  
"Yeah. I mean, the main reason was Willow of course. Wanted to see how she was doing. But I also wanted to spent some time with him, see if we could make it in the real world. And we did.. sort of".  
  
"Didn't go to well huh?"  
  
" No it didn't. I was missing patrol, missed the action. Giles was ordering me around, he even told me I'd better forget about you, cause in the end it was you alone you had to save the world. That I couldn't help, stuff like that. And the worst part, I believed him. But it didn't took long for me to realize, that he wasn't right for me. That's when I came back. Leaving him was quite hard, he put up quite a fight."  
  
Alyssa looked to her feet, still feeling hurt when she thought back of her departure. She remembered the look on his face, the way she hurt him, the things she said. She sighed, life was hard, too hard.  
  
***part two***  
  
Meanwhile Wood and Giles are making a pact. Giles will stall Buffy when patrolling. With that giving Wood some time, to have his revenge. Hurt Spike, the way he had hurt him, by taking his mother's life. Wood's face is filled with sarcasm, telling Giles he's just waiting for the right time.  
  
Finally sun has set. Buffy and Giles left the house right that moment and headed to the cemetary. Not much later Wood and Spike leave and head to Wood's sanctuary. When he opens the door and turns on the light, Spike is shocked. Each wall is covered with crosses. Suddenly Spike knows, he's not just here to be quarded. He's here to be killed. Suddenly Spike here's music playing. Some old song, that suddenly turns the adreline into rage, anger. Wood turns around and starts fighting him. Spike hits back, and for a moment it looks like he's gonna lose. But he fights back, grows stronger, more powerful. Wood is trown against the wall and loses the fight. Then Spike turns around and looks at him, like he's deciding what to do. Then he just sits down and thinks. 


	2. The Pact

***part 2***  
  
At the other side of town, Buffy and Giles arrive at the cemetary. Suddenly one of the graves move and a hand shows up from the dirt. A few seconds later a vampire has risen. Buffy's instincts tell her to kill it, so she starts fighting. When she graps her stake to end it, Giles tell her not to.  
  
"What do you mean? Not kill it?", Buffy's voice full of wondering.  
  
"Yes, that's what I meant. We need to talk", Giles' voice sounds very serene.  
  
"Oh my god, since when do you wanna talk in the middle of a fight? I'm surprised you're not knock out yet". Sarcasm was always Buffy's weapon.  
  
Like he didn't noticed it, he continues. "Are you making though decisions?"  
  
"Of course I am, you know I am"  
  
"No I don't, don't know what you might sacrifice this time"  
  
During the conversation Buffy was still fighting of the demon. When she heard his last words, she is stunned. Seven years of fighting demons, sharing apocalypses. Two times dying, sacrificing her life to save that of the world. He said it like it didn't meant anything. Like it's just a waste of time. She had said goodbye too many times, and still she was willing to sacrifice everything to win this battle. After a few seconds she recovered her senses and started talking.  
  
"What I might sacrifice? How about my life, how about that of the world!", her voice cracked within every word.  
  
"All I want to know is if you are really ready", Giles pretended not to hear what she'd just said.  
  
"I am fighing the fight of my life!"  
  
"With me?", the vampire asks, meanwhile still fighting her.  
  
"No! Not with you!", Buffy turns back to Giles.  
  
"Can't you see I'm ready?"  
  
"Not exactly. You keep saying you would sacrifice the world, sacrifice everyone around you. But you haven't told me anything about Spike."  
  
"Spike?" Suddenly Buffy dusts the vampire. With a lot of anger within her voice, she says: "you've been stalling me! How can I sacrifice him, if he's the most powerful guy around me. Suddenly she starts to run. She just knows where to go.  
  
When she arrives at Wood's sanctuary, Spike justs walks out of the door. She looks at him and asks what happens. Without a word he opens the door and nots at Wood. "Gave him a pass, so he lives. But if he even looks at funny, just once, I will kill him." He turned around and walked away in darkness.  
  
Buffy sighs and walks in. She let her eyes ajust to the dark and then looks around. She is shocked by what she sees. There are crosses everywhere. Wood had planned this all along. She walks over to him and helps him to stand up. "You know what he will do right? He will kill you. And you know what. I'll let him". She walks of, letting him alone. 


	3. Hitting truth

***part 3***  
  
It's a new morning, the potential slayers are outside working out. Meanwhile Bufy and Alyssa are having breakfast and are talking about last night.  
  
"How's patrolling been last night" Alyssa asks.  
  
When Buffy's done telling her, Alyssa gets furious. "How the hell could he do that? I know he doesn't like him, but to let him be killed. Oh I swear, he's not done with me yet!" Alyssa stands up.  
  
"Where are you going?" Buffy asks.  
  
" To the foon. See, I can't levitate the damn thing, so I have to walk over to get it."  
  
"Gonna call Giles huh?"  
  
"Oh yeah, he's coming over right now and he's going to explain."  
  
"You mind if I stay here, wouldn't want to miss that", buffy says smiling.  
  
20 minutes later Giles arrives at the Summers residence. Before he even had a moment to sit down, Alyssa starts talking.  
  
"What were you thinking, trying to kill Spike! What kind of man are you?"  
  
"I am a watcher. Don't talk to me like that. I have knowledge to give you, things to show you. Am I the only one with a sane mind?"  
  
" A sane mind? You are getting to old for this Giles. We can't win this with books and papers. This apocalypse requires a heart, a soul. It requies power. You can't gain that from books. Without power we are pretty much lost", Alyssa voice is broken. Lately it seemed she and Giles were always fighting.  
  
"But you need the books, you don't know the first thing about it." Giles said it with hurt in his voice.  
  
"What we're fighting is the source of all evil, it predicts all written history. So I don't think books would help us right now. A very old man would, but books.. No don't thinks so.  
  
"But.., but there are things I can learn you", Giles tried for the last time".  
  
"I think you told us enough." Buffy and Alyssa simultanously say. 


	4. Morning conversations

*** part four***  
  
A new day has come. The sun has risen and warms the earth with her light. Everything looks so calm, so peaceful. But it's fake. The demon activity, the vampires wandering around in the middle of the night, it's all gone. For now at least.  
  
The house is still quit when Alyssa wakes up. She opens her eyes and let them ajust to the dark surrounding her. After a few minutes she decided to get out and take a shower while she can. When she's done, she walks downstairs and starts making breakfast. She loves this house. The rumour of the potentials talking, fighting and training is good, but the quitness is better. She's always been like that. More with the calm than with the rush. She will fight when she has to, kill when necessairy, but rather wants calm and peacefull quit. When she's done making breakfast, she grasps a cup of coffee and walks outside, sitting down at the porch, inhaling the dawn of the risen day.  
  
When she's lost in her thoughts, reminders of her life get inside her head, and cloud it. Suddenly she remembers everything again. From the moment she arrived in Sunnydale to the fight she had with Giles last night. When she's opens her eyes, she finds Amanda sitting right next to her.  
  
"You seemed far away. Where were you? " Amanda asks her.  
  
"Like you said, far away."  
  
"There's more to you than you wanna show us right?"  
  
"Yes, there is. But it's not all sunshine. Some things are dark, painfull. Am not sure you want to know that" Alyssa tells her.  
  
"Well, I do. I mean, I care. For you. You are different than anyone I've ever met, you really live. You are real, not some big fake, who thinks she can do it all on her own. So yes, I want to know."  
  
"Alright, stop the begging. Just wanna know you got a few minutes."  
  
She sighs, now she had to tell her. Tell her everything there was to know. She took a deep breath, a few seconds later she started talking.  
  
"Three years ago I came to Sunnydale. I was 17 years old right then. I had just found out that my parents lied to me, practically their entire life. I had found out that my parents are not my real ones, I was adopted. Found out that my parents died when I was just a kid. But the weirdest thing was that somehow I knew. Somehow I wasn't said when they told me how they died. I have always known deep down. "  
  
She took another breath. Looked up at the sky and continued.  
  
"For me it was time to live my life. Away from my adoptiv parents, away from everything that was save. Now I was on my own and I loved it. So my travel started. Went everywhere, slept in motels, sometimes even outside. A few weeks after I left my parents, I say the Welcome to Sunnydale sign. I was interested in the city right away. After a few miles walking downtown I ended up at a cemetary. Now I know, not the savest place to hide."  
  
Amanda had listened to her every word, and almost begged her to go.  
  
"I had the weirdest encounter of my life at that cemetary. What I found, was a guy who looked if he grawled out of a grave. Right then I didn't knew that vampires excisted. So when he walked into me, ready to kill, my instincts told me to kill it. So I fought, and somehow I won. When I dusted the vampire I looked in the face of a girl, dressed to kill. I saw the stake in her hand and the wonder on her face. She asked me how I did that, who I was didn't even seem to mather. That night we had a long conversation at the same cemetary. When the sun started to rise she asked me if I wanted to come with her. She had a spare bed. Must have looked like I needed one. So I did went with her."  
  
"So that was Buffy. Is that when you met Giles?", Amanda asks longing for more.  
  
"No, not right away. When we arrived at the house, I took a little nap, and Buffy told me she was coming back later that afternoon. And indeed she did. She took me to the magicbox to meet her friends. That's when I met Giles".  
  
"You liked him right away?"  
  
"Hell no, I thought of him as an old, boring librarian. He turned out to be more exiding than I thought. Lots more."  
  
"Tell me, please, don't let me wait that long"  
  
"Yeah, yeah, hold your cows. I'll tell you. So weeks, months, had pasts since our first meeting. Apocalypses we won, thousands of demons we killed. Then the big tragedy started. The day Tara died. From that moment Willow started to grow to evil, more than to good. Well you know the rest. So when Willow was taken to England, I decided to pay her a little visit. Ended up paying Giles a very long visit, but that's not the point right now. We ended up having a short but intense relationship. But when Willow returned to Sunnydale, I went with her, leaving Giles really angry and upset. So that's why there was so much tension around us, when you arrived. Well, sorry but that's kind of it"  
  
"Don't you think that's enough. So I think a difference of opion is what there's still left between the two of you?", Amanda asks.  
  
"Oh yes, I don't when that's going to be over, but I make that best out of it. It's all I can do right now."  
  
Right that moment Amanda and Alyssa lock eyes. It's like the world just stopped. Right that moment they share each other thoughts. Both knowing everything will turn out alright.  
  
***to be continued 


	5. The beginning

***Part Five***  
  
A new December day was rising. Christmas was heading, but Sunnydale looked deserted. The once so fully and beautifully decorated city had turned out in a dark empty one. People had abandoned their houses, like they finally understood darkness was really coming. The shops were abondoned too. The most of them were already emptied by those who had decided to stay till the end. In some way or another, they all were related to the slayer. The slayer was glad the citizens had left. She wouldn't have to save them too and none of them would die, or asking questions later. They were just gone.  
  
Sometimes Buffy wished she could just go. Just leave Sunnydale behind, let go of all slayer duties and just for once be a normal girl in a normal world. She knew she never could. Being a slayer sometimes felt like being in prison for life. Cut from everything, but always standing on top. Alone. In the dark. She felt like it was were she belonged. It's been a while since she'd thought like that. Lately she didn't had the time to think back at her resurrection. But they knew how she felt, she had sung it to them.  
  
Buffy suddenly cleared her head. She had to stay focused. Believe in what's real, don't look back but move on. The speech was Giles', the bored was hers. He could say it so beautifully, but in the end she was bored to death. She didn't want it, but it happened. She, Xander, Willow, Alyssa, God.. almost everyone had told him that it had not anything to do with focus, but with a heart, a soul and strength. She looked out of the window, and was surprised to see it was snowing. Even though evil was coming, the world didn't seem to stop turning.  
  
Meanwhile Alyssa had taken the potentials, together with the Faith and the scooby gang, to the mall. They were doing christmas shopping, and they had just entered a clothing store, looking for the right christmas clothes. Alyssa had realized that this year, Christmas might be forgotten, they wouldn't celebrate it. But when she saw the dissapointed faces of the wannabes, she decided to take them to mall. Let them celebrate christmas, even just a night. All they wanted was to forget the world, just for one day. When all of them suddenly realized that the sun was set, they hurried home. Knowing they had to patrol to night, fight the bad, consumate the good.  
  
*** 2 hours later ***  
  
Buffy, Alyssa and Faith had entered the cemetary. They had decided to let the potentials stay home, quarded by Willow. Meanwhile Spike and Wood were heading to another cemetary, spreading the work. Suddenly Alyssa stopped and stood completely still. She had sensed something following her. She put her hand on her stake and turned around. Almost suddenly she was attacked. She used her hands to knock him down, but it was strong, fought back every pounch she trew at him. Meanwhile Buffy and Faith were caught up in a fight too. When evil was knocked down, they staked it. But there was no dust, no sign of demons being destroyed. Surprisingly enough the demons stood up again. Even though they looked like vampires, they were something else.  
  
Suddenly Alyssa had an idea, she jumped in the ear kicking the three demons at once. Her strengh was so great that it trew the demons to a tombstone. Like the three girls had the same idea, they jumped up and with a strong kick of their legs they broke the demons necks. Totally exhausted they walked home, in the meantime discussing what it could have been. They knew one thing. It was the beginning of the evil that was about to rise. When they got home, they hit the book instead of taking a hot shower and a nap. They wouldn't sleep until they knew what was coming. They had a long night ahead of them. 


	6. Too quiet

Part 6  
  
*** Summers' Mansion ***  
  
Sun has set. Alyssa sighs. Somehow she isn't up for a night of patrol. She walks out to the window and looks out into the dark. It all seemed quiet. But hey, it seemed quiet for a couple of nights now. She sighs again, meanwhile changing into combat clothes. While grabbing her stake, she walks down the stairs, looking for the potentials, the wannabe's. They all had gathered together in the kitchen, waiting for her. She looks at them, meanwhile trying not to look too shocked. Some of them were still injured from the night before. Brushes, cuts, everywhere. Normally healing powers came with the slayer package, but the potentials seemed not knowing to the advantages yet.  
  
'Are you guys ready?', she asks, meanwhile struggling to get her coat on. Nothing more than some mumbles reached her. Battle was gonna be tough tonight.  
  
*** Wood's Santuary ***  
  
Buffy walked towards the door of Wood's cabin, when suddenly she heart the noise of breaking glass. She quickened her passes and opened the door. There's was no demon. It was just training that went a little too far. Instead of throwing the knife to Faith, Wood had missed her and had hit the window. Unfortunately the window wasn't strong enough and had scattered into a million little pieces. Buffy found them on the floor, laughing their heads of. She giggled. They looked good together. Carefully she made her way over to them, trying not to step on the glass. Wood and Faith hadn't noticed her yet and the tension between the two could be sensed miles away. Carefully not to touch the glass they bend to each other and softly kissed. Before they could go any further, Buffy opened her mouth to speak.  
  
'Guys, hate to spoil the moment, but there's work to be done, you know books to read. I think we call it research?'  
  
'What do you think we're doing B? We are ..um. researching', Faith laughs.  
  
'Faith please, the original research I mean, with books. b-o-o-k-s'.  
  
'So we call that actually research. I thought is was plain boredom, or ..um.. a big waste of time to quote. well. you!', Wood mentions.  
  
'I never said. oh yeah I did.. just never quote the slayer. It's more like. Ok, no explanation ready. All I came for is to get you guys, for the work. So stand up and follow me!', Buffy pretended to be some drill instructor.  
  
It seemed to work. Both Faith and Wood stood up unwillingly, took their jackets and walked out carefully, following Buffy. They looked at each other. It seemed research was all they did these days.  
  
*** Redfield Cemetary ***  
  
Alyssa and the girls entered the cemetery climbing over the wall. In weeks that had passed them by, they learned never just take the entrance when you could simply just climb over the wall. They looked around for some evil guys. They wouldn't have to wait long. After a few seconds they were surrounded by vampires. She could feel the tension of the girls. She knew this fight could not take too long, the girls were too injured. Her hand slipped in her pocket and gripped her stake. She looked around, it seemed like the vampires were waiting for them to take the first step. But than one vampire started to move in on them, before Alyssa knew it she ran over to the vampire, kicked it to the ground and staked it. Immediately the other vampires started to come closer, they were out for some blood. Suddenly Alyssa felt the power rush through her body, she tried to focus, meanwhile watching the others. They felt the same. All of a sudden they were more powerful and more willingly to fight than they'd ever felt before. In the few minutes after that the vampires were dusted. When they were about to leave, a whisper cut through the dark.  
  
'From beneath you it devours'  
  
Confused the girls look at each other, trying to get a clue about what just happened. They all shake their heads, trying to get the creepy feelings out of their system. They didn't succeed. Suddenly Alyssa starts laughing and she can't stop. The girls look at her, unknown to the fact why Alyssa is laughing. Then Kennedy, one the first potentials who arrived at Sunnydale, starts talking.  
  
'What was that?'  
  
Alyssa regains her normal self again, catches her breath and starts explaining.  
  
'That was last years slogan. From beneath you it devours. Pfff. zero points for originality', she still giggles. 'But on the other hand, could be a sign'.  
  
'A sign of what?'  
  
'A sign that whatever evil is coming, now is arrived. I dunno, but it didn't sound too good. I mean, he copied last years slogan. Last year was pretty bad, so whatever it is, I'm not gonna wait around till it gets to the devoury point. I think we should head home, finding out what it is.'  
  
She cleared her mind and looked at the girls. They looked pretty scared. She lifts her head up and looks at the sky, making a wish. Then she looks at the girls. 'Maybe Giles knows'. She wasn't able to keep the hurt out of her voice. 


	7. Trouble in paradise

This chapter contains a lively discussion, better call it a fight, between Giles and Alyssa. Finally the so called former relationship becomes clear to everyone.  
  
***Chapter 7 ***  
  
Summers Residence  
  
Not long after Alyssa arrived back home after a night of patrol out with the girls, she had sensed Giles. She knew she didn't want to talk to him, but she also knew that she could not keep avoiding him like she had been doing lately. A few minutes he walked into the kitchen, followed by Dawn and Willow, who were having a lively conversation about the latest fashion. Giles looked tired. He probably had been doing research all night or something. When he entered he looked at her and she could feel his eyes burn in her back. She wasn't up to fight with him, let alone have a polite conversation with him. When he had greeted the girls, she tried to get out a stable 'hi', but the words were stuck in her throat. Their eyes met and she could feel the hurt in his eyes.  
  
'Something the matter, Alyssa', Giles politely asks.  
  
'Nothing big, just tired', she tried.  
  
'Nothing big, right, got nothing to share?'  
  
'Like I said, nothing big', she started to get annoyed. He was getting at her nerves and she knew it wouldn't take long before she would snap. She knew herself, she would blow the roof of, say the wrong things, hurt him more than humanly possible. She just wasn't up for it right now. So she stood up and walked out of the room, but before she reached the stairs to walk up to her room, he had followed her.  
  
'We really should talk'  
  
'About what?'  
  
'Us, what we used to be'  
  
'Right, you said it, used to be. Past tense. Like in it is over'  
  
'It is over. I know that, but you just stopped caring? Stopped loving me? Just like that?'  
  
'Not just like that'. Now she was pissed. 'I have stopped loving a long time ago. I only care about you because I have to'.  
  
'Only because you have to. Well, at least it is honest. Can you at least tell me why?'  
  
'Full story? Fine. But I warned yeah, might hurt. Let's start with the reason I came the England. You said we had a chance. So when I came to visit Willow, I thought, hey, let's see what happens. See if we do have a chance. I thought we did, for a little while. But then you crashed my dream like you poke a bubble. Gone it was.'  
  
She took a breath and continued. 'Then I found out what you were doing while you were.. um.. away. You cheated on me with that coven girl. I mean, if you were that desperate, why not come to me. But no, you decided to cheat and then later on lie about it. I mean come on, I'm not that stupid.'  
  
'I know you're not, but I did not exactly cheat.'  
  
'Then what exactly were you doing?, cause sleeping with someone else while you're involved is still cheating'.  
  
'I was kinda.. saving the world'  
  
She burst into laughter. 'Saving the world? That's hilarious. From what were you saving the world?'  
  
'From Willow'.  
  
All of sudden she was serious again. 'You were sleeping with a girl and that meant to save the world. Besides, Willow's never been a threat to the world. The world never knew her.' She now was losing it. So if I would be sleeping with a guy, I could just say I was saving the world. No explaining necessary. Your logics definitely do not resemble mine.'  
  
'You wouldn't understand, I knew'  
  
'You're wrong'. The anger could be heart in her voice. 'I do. More than you know.' She paused for a split second. 'So next I be sleeping with Spike, I'd be saving the world. Won't have to feel sorry about that'. With that she left him and ran upstairs to her room.  
  
Suddenly everyone who had been close to place where the arguing happened, started talking again. They all had heart. All knew. All shocked.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Kinda short, I know, just wish this cleares it up a little. Right now I'm writing the next chapter. So hold on, update will arrive soon. 


End file.
